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Led by Andrew Nguyen, Bellevue’s own Wolverine Robotics, team 949, won two awards this season. These were the Rising All-Star Award at the Bonney Lake District Event, awarded to teams with a successful revival and comeback, and the District Event Finalists award, awarded to the second-place alliance, at the Sammamish District Event. They competed against 30 other teams at Sammamish and 33 other teams at Bonney Lake. The awards end a 16-year team awards drought and a 17-year medals drought.
This season was a season of firsts, from the team building their first pulley-elevator system to the first time any of the current members have seen their efforts pay off in the form of awards. The team also transitioned to a newer, nimbler drivetrain that allows movement in all directions. The team also implemented vision control, allowing the robot to see, recognize, and align with elements on the field. This 150-pound robot was designed, built and programmed in only two months.
The business sub-team, led by Matthew Chin, also raised over $30,000 through grants and fundraisers. The media sub-team, led by Adrina Banwait, reached 5,400 views on an Instagram short in just 24 hours, where it also gained the recognition of the official FIRST account. The video now has over 70,000 views, with the account amassing over 115,000 views this calendar year, a hundredfold increase since last year. The team also helped open the STEAMnasium, a full-sized shared robotics practice field for the six teams in the Bellevue district. The celebrations included representatives from the school district, as well as state and federal officials.
As the season wraps up, the members of Wolverine Robotics reflect on their journey and their success with pride and anticipation for what lies ahead. The team is motivated to do even better next year. If you want to learn more about what the team does, or want to be a part of it, reach out to Andrew Nguyen or any of the team members.
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